mind,” Darwyn says. “We’re already out here.”
“What if he is an alien?” I ask. “And just because we think he’s crazy, we blow his chance to go home.”
“Mal, you need help,” Posey says.
“It’s important to me, Posey,” I say. “I need to see this all the way through.”
“Okay,” Posey says.
We’re going to drive into the middle of the desert, on a tiny dirt road, to bring Hooper to the end of the line.
61.
Hooper looks nervous as we walk toward him, so I smile to try to make him feel comfortable.
There isn’t that much to say in the car. We’re all lost in our thoughts. There’s no moon. The desert is dark.
Hooper is the first one to speak as he begins to navigate us off the main highway and onto a small dirt road. The more turns we make, the more excited he gets, but as I glance in the mirror, I can see that Posey is becoming more worried.
Finally, we reach a sign that simply says R OAD E NDS.
“Here it is,” Hooper says. “You can let me off here.”
“Here?” I ask. “Are you sure?”
“There’s nothing here,” Posey says.
“Good place to land a spaceship,” Darwyn says.
“The road is finished. We can drive no farther,” Hooper says. He gets out of the car and we all follow him.
“Well, good-bye, then. And thank you,” he says.
“We’re going to take you,” I say. “We’re not going to leave you to wait alone.”
“I must be alone, or they won’t come,” Hooper says.
“
Right
,” Posey says. “Well, we’ll leave you, then. Good-bye, Hooper. Nice meeting you. Have a good trip.”
“Good-bye, Posey. Good-bye, Darwyn.”
Darwyn looks kind of sad as he slides into the backseat of the car.
I’m standing with Hooper and I don’t know how to say good-bye. It’s not so easy for me as it is for them.
“Thank you,” I say to Hooper. He doesn’t ask for what. He knows that I needed him. To listen to me. To let me be weird.
“I’m sorry,” Hooper says. “I hope you understand.”
And then, without a big to-do, not even a hug, he turns and walks into the desert.
As he leaves, I see him for what he really is — a man with a kind heart who cannot bear this world, just like me. He’s probably a little bit mentally disturbed — just like me.
I watch him walk until the darkness swallows him up.
62.
As we’re driving away, putting distance between us and the end of the road, the darkness in front of us lights up.
A sign flashes by us — Mojave Air and Space Port, next exit.
Lifting out of the sky in front of us is a rocket, like an arrow heading straight into the sky. It’s beautiful and the night lights up and the whole of the white ship is dotted with colors.
“Stop the car! Stop the car!” Posey says.
I pull over and we scramble out so we can all see it disappear into space.
“We can’t leave Hooper there with no water,” I say. “We have to go back.”
We jump back in the car and I do a U-turn and step on the gas, listening to the GPS voice tell me how far I am from my destination.
“Hurry,” Posey says.
“I’m going as fast as I can,” I tell her.
“You have arrived,” the GPS voice says.
I grab the flashlight I brought with me and run out of the car.
“Hooper! Hooper!”
We’re all yelling.
“Hooper!”
“You guys stay by the car,” I say. “I’ll head in a bit.”
“Be careful,” Posey tells me. Her voice is genuinely worried.
I walk out into the desert, scanning the ground for tracks. I see something that looks like it was made by a human. I follow.
My flashlight flickers out. I bang it with the palm of my hand. It doesn’t go back on. Dead.
It’s black and I can’t see the car anymore. It’s so black that even with my eyes open it looks dark. There is no moon. The sky is now covered with clouds. I hear the wind.
I stop walking.
I close my eyes.
Something is happening to me.
I feel warmer than I’ve ever felt in my life. Warm like a bath. Or a blanket. I open my eyes. And I
“What if he is an alien?” I ask. “And just because we think he’s crazy, we blow his chance to go home.”
“Mal, you need help,” Posey says.
“It’s important to me, Posey,” I say. “I need to see this all the way through.”
“Okay,” Posey says.
We’re going to drive into the middle of the desert, on a tiny dirt road, to bring Hooper to the end of the line.
61.
Hooper looks nervous as we walk toward him, so I smile to try to make him feel comfortable.
There isn’t that much to say in the car. We’re all lost in our thoughts. There’s no moon. The desert is dark.
Hooper is the first one to speak as he begins to navigate us off the main highway and onto a small dirt road. The more turns we make, the more excited he gets, but as I glance in the mirror, I can see that Posey is becoming more worried.
Finally, we reach a sign that simply says R OAD E NDS.
“Here it is,” Hooper says. “You can let me off here.”
“Here?” I ask. “Are you sure?”
“There’s nothing here,” Posey says.
“Good place to land a spaceship,” Darwyn says.
“The road is finished. We can drive no farther,” Hooper says. He gets out of the car and we all follow him.
“Well, good-bye, then. And thank you,” he says.
“We’re going to take you,” I say. “We’re not going to leave you to wait alone.”
“I must be alone, or they won’t come,” Hooper says.
“
Right
,” Posey says. “Well, we’ll leave you, then. Good-bye, Hooper. Nice meeting you. Have a good trip.”
“Good-bye, Posey. Good-bye, Darwyn.”
Darwyn looks kind of sad as he slides into the backseat of the car.
I’m standing with Hooper and I don’t know how to say good-bye. It’s not so easy for me as it is for them.
“Thank you,” I say to Hooper. He doesn’t ask for what. He knows that I needed him. To listen to me. To let me be weird.
“I’m sorry,” Hooper says. “I hope you understand.”
And then, without a big to-do, not even a hug, he turns and walks into the desert.
As he leaves, I see him for what he really is — a man with a kind heart who cannot bear this world, just like me. He’s probably a little bit mentally disturbed — just like me.
I watch him walk until the darkness swallows him up.
62.
As we’re driving away, putting distance between us and the end of the road, the darkness in front of us lights up.
A sign flashes by us — Mojave Air and Space Port, next exit.
Lifting out of the sky in front of us is a rocket, like an arrow heading straight into the sky. It’s beautiful and the night lights up and the whole of the white ship is dotted with colors.
“Stop the car! Stop the car!” Posey says.
I pull over and we scramble out so we can all see it disappear into space.
“We can’t leave Hooper there with no water,” I say. “We have to go back.”
We jump back in the car and I do a U-turn and step on the gas, listening to the GPS voice tell me how far I am from my destination.
“Hurry,” Posey says.
“I’m going as fast as I can,” I tell her.
“You have arrived,” the GPS voice says.
I grab the flashlight I brought with me and run out of the car.
“Hooper! Hooper!”
We’re all yelling.
“Hooper!”
“You guys stay by the car,” I say. “I’ll head in a bit.”
“Be careful,” Posey tells me. Her voice is genuinely worried.
I walk out into the desert, scanning the ground for tracks. I see something that looks like it was made by a human. I follow.
My flashlight flickers out. I bang it with the palm of my hand. It doesn’t go back on. Dead.
It’s black and I can’t see the car anymore. It’s so black that even with my eyes open it looks dark. There is no moon. The sky is now covered with clouds. I hear the wind.
I stop walking.
I close my eyes.
Something is happening to me.
I feel warmer than I’ve ever felt in my life. Warm like a bath. Or a blanket. I open my eyes. And I
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